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Xbox One launching in Japan and 25 other countries in September

Xbox One launching in Japan and 25 other countries in September

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Microsoft’s Xbox One console was originally supposed to launch in 21 countries in November, but the company delayed the launch for eight European markets at the time citing localization issues. Today, Microsoft is revealing that its Xbox One will be released in 26 new markets in September, including the eight delayed countries and Japan, the home market of Sony's PlayStation 4. Argentina, Belgium, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, India, Israel, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and the UAE will all have access to the Xbox One in September.

"We’ll have much more to share at a local level towards the end of April," explains Microsoft’s Larry Hryb, but for now September is the launch month given. The expansion will likely help improve Xbox One sales globally as Microsoft's console continues to battle the PlayStation 4. Sony has sold more than 6 million units of the PS4 worldwide and is outselling Microsoft’s console in its home US market. Microsoft recently bundled Titanfall with new Xbox One consoles in an effort to boost system sales.

New Xbox One system update on the way

Alongside the new markets, Microsoft is also detailing an upcoming system update for the Xbox One today. The company is currently testing the future update with Xbox One preview members, and the most significant change is the return of notifications for when Xbox Live friends come online. Microsoft is also planning to add a game save progress bar, Kinect voice and motion improvements, and improved GameDVR video quality. The update will also include tweaks to control TVs, set-top boxes, and audio receivers, including a change to tune how much the volume is lowered when Kinect is used.